The Biggest Game Project on this Planet

Legend of Zelda: Daichi no Shou

Or "Oracle of Seasons" as it is known in the West.
This game was released simultaneously with Jikuu no Shou (Oracle of Ages), which I will tell you all about in a couple of days, and was the first Zelda game to be developed by Capcom, strangely.
I don't know what the deal was here exactly, but Capcom is pretty much behind both games, although I think the technical aspects were handled by Nintendo themselves.
The opening screen indicates that it is developed by Capcom and produced by Nintendo, whatever the heck that means.
I suppose they used Nintendo's handiwork, cos the games look and sound exactly like Link's Awakening, which was previously released on Gameboy. Capcom just added their own flavor probably, which is most notable during the final boss battle, which is not very Zelda-esque at all.

The point with this game is that the world of Holodrum has been upset by the Evil Gorgon, who has messed up the Seasons, causing random autumns in summertime etc. I have a strong feeling that this is exactly what is happening in the Netherlands, so if you see me running around in green tights one of these days, just throw some rupees at my head.

Actually, the game has a password system that allows you to transfer some data and unlock some secrets in the OTHER game, and if you play both in succession, you will unlock the REAL end-boss, who should be familiar to anyone who's ever played ANY Zelda game. Um. Except for Link's Awakening.

In essence though, this game is very similar to Link's Awakening. Same engine, a lot of the same sprites, same flow of the game. Still, there's 8 new dungeons to explore and they're fun as ever. The Seasons System adds a nice new element of strategy to the exploration, where spring allow jump flowers to bloom, summer dries up lakes, autumn makes mushroom ready for the plucking, and winter freezes up the water.
Basically, every screen you get to has 4 different versions, depending on the weather, and it often pays to visit every screen under different circumstances to find hidden items or open up hidden paths. It's a nice feature, but it doesn't pose much of a challenge, since the solution is usually pretty obvious, once you know which season does what.

Still, there is no doubt that this is a highly entertaining game, with a LOT of references to the very first Zelda game, unfortunately at times also recalling some of its ancestors frustration. There's no doubt this is a game that you should definitely check out if you have a Gameboy Color, or even if you have a GBA, cos it's good ole' Zelda goodness, but it kinda sticks around the entertainment value of Link's awakening.
This is surprising in this case, since a lot of Zelda games already precede it. Remember, these two games were released AFTER Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask, so one could wonder if there's still a lot of merit to this. It's also odd that in some ways it's such an obvious step DOWN from its predecessors. Things that worked perfectly in Link to the Past and Ocarina of Time are now shoddy or not present at all.

This game still deserves a 9.1, cos there's an undeniable quality in there, but it's not quite up to par with its elders. Slightly better than Link's awakening, but not very much.

posted by Ingen! @ 8:43 PM